Learning During Accreditation Remians Valuable

During our teacher accreditation in Albuquerque in November 2013, we were provided with some practical trade tools for teaching from a presentation that Lisa Otero gave at the 2013 Minnesota conference. Five items were especially helpful to the newly accredited teachers:

• Obtaining insurance coverage;

• Drafting and using liability waivers;

• Tax and financial record keeping;

• Ensuring that the TCC trademark and copyright are properly utilized and respected, and respecting other people’s original work;

• Publicity and advertising; respecting your students’ privacy.

When I returned to South Carolina, my teacher, Vicki Schroeder, provided the name of the insurance company she used and a copy of the waiver form. The waivers are needed when I teach for the Library System and at the senior, sports and activity centers. In addition, I’ve found it helpful to obtain CPR and AED training.

When teaching in any center or location you also need knowledge of their emergency procedures. This became apparent recently when a student came in at the last minute for her first practice in an ongoing class. Generally, there is only one hour for TCC practice, because other classes precede and follow it. I prefer new (seated) students to be seated in front of me so that I can ensure they safely learn the movements. I noticed that this student’s movements were slowing down; when her eyes closed and head dropped, I knew she needed help. I called her name, checked her breathing and pulse, and ensured that she had an open airway, while asking another student to call 911 and notify the senior center director. The un-well student’s breathing became shallow and her pulse slowed down dramatically. She was given oxygen by the emergency team and transferred to a local emergency room. I later discovered she needed a pacemaker to regulate her heart.

My students range in age from 55 to 94 and several do a seated practice. On any given day, I may have one to five new students. Some begin seated and then progress to a standing practice, while most prefer standing. I continue to grow in learning how to teach aging students and the challenges of aging. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my practice and grow with them. Thank you, Justin.